12 Years of Hannah

She turns twelve today, that beautiful girl who changed my life forever. A dozen years ago I was young and relatively care free. A dozen years ago I quit my job at Kinkos and looked forward to caring for my precious baby in our home. We had gathered a bassinet, a crib, and a changing table. We had acquired sleepers and onesies, diapers and burp cloths. We thought we were prepared. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.


Hannah was beautiful from the start and we loved her immediately. I remember how carefully Steven drove us home from the hospital, how gently he rounded every corner, how he eased over every bump to be sure that our precious cargo arrived home safely. I remember watching her, holding her over the months that followed, never wanting to put her down, not wanting to miss a single moment of her existence.  I remember walking home from church one day and hearing another young child tell us, "Your baby is sooooo cuuuute!" and smiling because I knew it was true and wondered that everyone couldn't see it. I remember watching her take her first teetering, wobbling steps in awe. How big she was growing! I remember teaching her letters and their sounds, and how she soaked it up, anxious to learn to read, and to write stories of her own. I remember her first day of school, how nervous, and at the same time excited I felt, that she was taking this huge step forward.


I remember the day she was baptized, how beautiful she was in her white dress, how excited she was to be making covenants with her Heavenly Father. I remember watching her grow, and sometimes wondering, "is this really the tiny baby that Steven and I brought home from the hospital, the precious soul who grew in my womb, below--and within--my heart?"

Today she turns twelve. At church, she graduates from Primary and goes to Young Women. She gets to go to mutual activities; she can babysit for other families. It wont be long before she is old enough to go to high school, then college, and before I know it, she'll be getting married and starting a family of her own. A dozen years ago she was born. A dozen years from now, she could have children of her own. Will the coming years pass as quickly as the past years have flown? Will I blink and miss it all? I've watched my tiny, helpless baby grow up into a responsible, mature young woman, and I have to admit that I'm pretty happy with the person she is becoming.

Happy Birthday Hannah!